Dominator Emperor

Over millions of years, if there was ever anyone who wanted to uncover the secrets of the Qianli River, Li Qiye was undoubtedly one of them. Furthermore, in the present age, he was likely the only one who understood it most clearly.

Li Qiye traveled south along the Qianli River. He would sometimes enter an Ancient City and sigh at the sight of a declining Ancient Family. He would journey into the mountains and rivers, seeing former prosperity now turned to ruin, and feel a swell of emotion in his heart. At other times, he would stand on the bank of the Qianli River, gazing at the vast expanse of water in prolonged silence. So many heroes, so much glory, so many beautiful women... all seemed insignificant in the long river of Time, ultimately perishing.

However, countless years had passed, and the world had changed beyond recognition, yet this surging river was still here. It seemed as if nothing in the world could move this mighty waterway; it was like a True Dragon coiled upon the land.

As Li Qiye continued south, he was already approaching the mouth of the Qianli River. On this day, Li Qiye set foot on the lands of the Jingxi Country. Hearing this familiar name, Li Qiye was deeply moved and couldn’t help but sigh softly, saying, ”Jingxi, guarding the river’s mouth. How many years have passed, and yet, it’s still here!”

By the standards of Yao Yun, Jingxi Country was a moderately sized nation. Its power was not particularly outstanding; with its level of strength, Jingxi Country could only just be considered a second-tier sect in Yao Yun.

Furthermore, Jingxi Country was a vassal to the Qianli River, and it had been so for millions of years. There was a reason for Jingxi Country’s allegiance. Its founding Primordial Ancestor had been a War General under the Qianli Immortal Emperor. Legend says that after the Qianli Immortal Emperor achieved his station and reigned over the Nine Realms, he established his Inheritance Sect along the Qianli River.

As one of the Qianli Immortal Emperor’s War Generals, the Primordial Ancestor of Jingxi Country had followed him here. The Immortal Emperor later partitioned a piece of land at the southernmost end of the Qianli River and bestowed it upon him, allowing the Primordial Ancestor to found his own nation.

For this very reason, Jingxi Country had always been a vassal of the Qianli River. In its early days, Jingxi Country was by no means weak; it possessed the full might of a First-tier Sect. Unfortunately, after so many years, its power had waned, and it was no longer as formidable as it once was. Even so, because it was a vassal to the Qianli River, no other Sect Inheritance dared to covet its lands, despite its decline in strength.

An inheritance like Jingxi Country could be said to be content in its own quiet corner. And because it was a vassal of the Qianli River, even though it was no longer as powerful as before, it could continue for generations as long as the Qianli River itself did not fall.

Li Qiye stepped into the lands of Jingxi Country. Seeing that his destination was near, he was in no hurry and ambled along, following the great river south.

Just as Li Qiye was leisurely making his way south along the river, a RUMBLE suddenly echoed from overhead. Li Qiye looked up to see a massive ship soaring through the sky, also heading south!

Such a sight was nothing strange to Li Qiye, and he paid it no mind. The giant ship tore through the Void as it flew south. However, it hadn’t flown far before it reversed course, came to a stop directly above Li Qiye, and began to slowly descend.

”Where are you headed?” At that moment, a woman standing at the ship’s rail called down to Li Qiye.

Li Qiye found it strange to be suddenly addressed by a young woman. Of course, he wasn’t narcissistic enough to think he was so handsome that women would go out of their way to talk to him.

”Me?” Li Qiye pointed at himself. ”To the Thousand Islands.”

”Come on up,” the young woman said. ”We’re also going to the Thousand Islands. We can give you a lift.”

It was the first time anyone had offered him a ride, and Li Qiye found it rather amusing. With a smile, he leaped onto the massive ship. Once he was aboard, the ship let out a RUMBLE and continued flying south.

Only after landing on deck did Li Qiye realize there were already several dozen Cultivators aboard. They were a mix of old and young, all wearing identical attire, making it obvious they were from the same sect.

When Li Qiye came aboard, the Cultivators greeted him with friendly nods.

The young woman who had invited him up said, ”Find a spot to sit. The Thousand Islands are very close now; we’ll be there in the blink of an eye.”

Li Qiye sat down and found himself studying the young woman. She appeared to be in her early twenties, in the prime of her youth, and was quite pretty and striking.

Li Qiye had seen more beautiful women than he could count, but this young woman before him still managed to catch his eye.

She had short hair, cut to her earlobes, a style that was refreshingly striking. It gave her a clean and capable look, immediately marking her as a decisive person.

She wasn’t devastatingly beautiful, but her bright eyes, firmly set lips, and overall fresh-faced appearance were appealing. Dressed in leather armor, she projected a heroic and dashing aura.

Though young, she had the air of a natural leader. It was obvious she was the one in charge of this group of Cultivators.

”I am Li Qiye. And how might I address you, miss?” Li Qiye asked with a smile after looking her over.

”Lu Baiqiu,” she replied, her words as crisp and direct as her appearance. ”Hall Master of the Jingxi Country’s Thousand Islands.”

Li Qiye hadn’t met a young woman like her in a very long time. He couldn’t help but smile. ”I’m very grateful for the ride, miss.”

”Heh, our Hall Master’s taken a liking to you, young man! She’s planning to recruit you as her husband,” a middle-aged man on the ship joked with a wide grin.

Upon hearing this, the other disciples on the ship, both old and young, burst into uproarious laughter.

”Dazhu, are you itching for a beating?” Lu Baiqiu cracked her knuckles, her pretty eyes shooting daggers at the man, looking for all the world like she was about to thrash him.

”Heh, Hall Master, my lady, I was just joking! Just joking!” Seeing his Hall Master crack her knuckles, the man recalled how vicious her beatings could be and immediately chuckled nervously.

The other disciples just chuckled mischievously, clearly enjoying his predicament. It was clear that despite their different ages, they were a very close-knit group.

Lu Baiqiu ignored her rowdy disciples and said to Li Qiye, ”In the Ghost Sacred Realm, we of the Human Race should stick together and help one another.”

Li Qiye just smiled. ’This girl’s ideals are admirable,’ he thought, ’but reality is cruel. No matter the realm, no matter the race, they always end up killing each other.’

”So, what business do you have in the Thousand Islands?” As the Hall Master of the Jingxi Country’s presence in the Thousand Islands, the archipelago was her jurisdiction. Hearing Li Qiye say he was headed there, she couldn’t help but inquire.

”To gather some medicinal herbs,” Li Qiye said with a smile. ”I heard the Thousand Islands are full of Ghost Locust Trees. I’m preparing a type of ointment that requires Ghost Locust Tree sap, so I made a special trip to the Thousand Islands to collect it.”

”Ghost Locust Trees?” Lu Baiqiu repeated after hearing his words. ”It’s true that the Thousand Islands have a lot of them. You could even say they’re unique to our islands.”

Although most Sect Inheritances forbid outsiders from harvesting the Treasure Ores and Elixir Grasses native to their territories, Lu Baiqiu wasn’t concerned when she heard Li Qiye was only there for Ghost Locust Tree sap.

While Ghost Locust Trees were rare in many other places and grew in abundance only in the Thousand Islands, they held little to no value for the Jingxi Country. For that reason, Lu Baiqiu gave it no further thought.

The Thousand Islands marked the mouth of the Qianli River. Here, the thousand-li-long river’s gallop came to an abrupt end as its surging waters poured into the vast ocean.

As far as the eye could see, the Thousand Islands were a vast expanse of surging ocean. Islands dotted this rolling sea, one after another. They came in all sizes; the smallest were no bigger than a single hilltop, while the largest were like miniature continents, home to cities and tens of thousands of Mortals, all bustling with life.

Although it was called the Thousand Islands, there weren’t actually a thousand islands here. Someone had once counted them and found a total of ninety-nine. However, others claimed there had once been one hundred, but the largest of them had sunk beneath the waves.

The Thousand Islands marked the end of the territory governed by the Qianli River. Further south lay nothing but the vast, endless ocean.

The Thousand Islands was also the southernmost piece of territory belonging to the Jingxi Country. The largest island in the archipelago was called Qingcheng Island, because it was home to a city named Qing City.

Qingcheng Island spanned a thousand li, making it a very large island indeed, and its population numbered in the hundreds of thousands.

The Jingxi Country’s hall for the Thousand Islands was established within Qing City. As the Hall Master, Lu Baiqiu was the most powerful person in the archipelago. The fact that she could become a Hall Master at such a young age was a testament to her considerable strength.

Just as the massive ship flew over the Thousand Islands, Li Qiye said to Lu Baiqiu, ”I can get off here.”

Lu Baiqiu ordered the ship to halt. After Li Qiye had disembarked, she called down to him, ”If you run into any trouble, you can look for our hall! As long as it’s within our power, we’ll certainly help.”

”Go for it, young man!” An Elder Cultivator on the ship winked at Li Qiye and added with a grin, ”Our Hall Master is still single! You might have a chance, you know. We’re rooting for you!”

Such words left Li Qiye at a loss for whether to laugh or cry. Lu Baiqiu, on the other hand, shot a glare at her disciples, which only made the others laugh even harder.

Li Qiye watched the giant ship fly toward Qing City. He then surveyed his surroundings, climbed to a high peak, and gazed out over the entire Thousand Islands.

’Jingxi guards the Thousand Islands... but it’s a pity he didn’t establish the National Capital of the Jingxi Country here.’ Li Qiye sighed with emotion as he looked down upon the landscape of mountains and sea.

In the era of the Qianli Immortal Emperor, the Primordial Ancestor of Jingxi Country had founded his nation upon Li Qiye’s advice. It was just a pity that, while he established his country here, he had not set his National Capital in this very place.